EPA ANNOUNCES FINAL PHASE OF SWITCH TO EIGHT-HOUR OZONE STANDARD
From the US Environmental Protection Agency

To continue progress toward meeting the new eight-hour standard for ground-level ozone air pollution, the US Environmental Protection Agency announced this week that it is taking final action to revoke the earlier one-hour standard.

The EPA first announced the move to the eight-hour standard in 1997. The new standard changed both the level of ground-level ozone considered acceptable and the way in which it would be measured. Under the prior standard, ozone levels were considered unacceptable if they exceeded 120 parts per billion for more than one hour. An area was considered to be out of attainment if it exceeded 120 ppb at the same monitor on more than three days over a period of three years - that is, a monitor was allowed an average of one exceedance of the one-hour standard per year.

Under the new standard, acceptable ozone levels are set at 80 ppb, averaged over an eight-hour period. If an area exceeds 80 ppb in eight hours, the EPA will determine the fourth-highest eight-hour ozone level for each of three consecutive years and then will average these levels to determine whether the area is out of compliance.

The transition to the eight-hour standard has been taking place gradually over several years, the EPA said, with the new standard coming into effect on June 15 of this year for most areas of the country.

As of April 15, 2004, the Houston-Galveston area was designated a nonattainment area under the eight-hour standard. There are five degrees of nonattainment status, ranging from marginal to severe. Applying the eight-hour standard, ground-level ozone pollution in the Houston-Galveston area been designated "moderate". Houston-Galveston was classified as a severe nonattainment area under the older one-hour standard.

Where the eight-hour standard has not already been met, states must submit detailed plans to the EPA by April 2007 for lowering ozone levels in nonattainment areas. Areas such as Houston that are designated moderate have until June 2010 to reach attainment.

EPA also announced that it is making exceptions for fourteen "Early Action Compact" areas, which will continue to be covered by the one-hour standard while they work to meet the eight-hour standard. Under the terms of the compact, these areas must keep certain one-hour ozone controls in place until they meet the new standard. In exchange for a deferred effective date of their eight-hour ozone designation, Early Action Compact areas have agreed to take action to achieve clean air earlier than required under the eight-hour standard --no later than Dec. 31, 2007. San Antonio is the only area in Texas that has entered into the compact.

Ground-level ozone forms in mid air when emissions of nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compounds cook in the sun. Sources of these pollutants include automobiles, power plants, industrial facilities, and refineries. Studies have shown that breathing ozone can inflame and damage the cells lining the lungs, can cause reduced breathing capacity, and can aggravate diseases such as emphysema.

For more information concerning the eight-hour standard, visit http://www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps/glo/designations/index.htm.

MEMORIAL PARK TO HOST WILDLIFE EDUCATION DAY

Local children and families will have the opportunity to see and learn about wildlife found in Houston's urban setting at a public event in Memorial Park on August 4. The afternoon event, City Critters: Kids Day at Memorial Park, is organized by the Memorial Park Conservancy and cosponsored by the Houston Parks and Recreation Department and several local nature centers. The event will take place from 1 to 3:30 pm at Memorial Loop East, next to the playground/picnic area adjacent to Ball Field #1. The Houston Arboretum and Nature Center, The Houston Zoo, Houston Audubon Society, Houston Museum of Natural Science, and The Memorial Park Conservancy will be sponsoring the event and leading outdoor educational programming focusing on Houston's native wildlife and ecology. They will be providing several biofacts (coyote fur, hawk feathers, beaver pelts, turtle shells, for example) and a few small, native live animals for the children to learn about and, of course, to touch.

GREEN ROOF WORKSHOP AND LEED BUILDING TOURS

The American Institute of Architect's Houston Committee on the Environment is presenting a two-part green roof workshop, on two successive Mondays, August 1 and 8, from 4 to 8 pm. This workshop focuses on understanding everything involved in creating a green roof system in Houston's hot, humid climate, including: roofing supply through installation, landscaping and horticulture, green roof supply and installation, and advice from environmental experts, architects, owners, and engineers. The first session will focus on basic components for new and retrofit situations and the holistic approach to design. The second session will concentrate on lessons learned and important details for a successful project. Presenters include: Russell Hruska, AIA, architect for the 7777 Greenbriar Green Roof; Jennifer Appel, ASLA, landscape designer for the Marriott; Cath Colon of the Blackwood Land Institute, who will discuss rain-water harvesting; Michael Morton, horticulturalist; and John Ferguson, soil scientist.

To register for the event, visit the Houston Chapter of the American Institute of Architects' web site at http://www.aiahouston.org/. Look for the "CE Signup" icon.
On Saturday, August 6, from 10 am to 1 pm, AIA Houston COTE and USGBC-GHAC Education Committee will tour three green buildings in Houston: The Emerson Unitarian Church Education Center, American Heart Association, and the University of Texas School of Nursing. To explore these three LEED-registered buildings, please RSVP to Eco-Interchange at RSVP@usgbc-houston.org.

NEW FUNDING FOR CREATING SCHOOLYARD HABITATS

The National Wildlife Federation has received renewed funding to expand its Creating Schoolyard Habitats program to five additional schools in HISD.

The National Wildlife Federation is offering teams of five or six teachers, from five HISD elementary or middle schools, a grant-funded program that will result in the creation of habitats or outdoor classrooms on their campuses. The program will include a series of three workshops designed to give the teachers the knowledge, skills, and resources to create a schoolyard habitat on their campuses and to involve their students and community every step of the way. Each participating school will also receive $800 as seed money to get the habitat going. The deadline for applications is Friday, September 2.

For an application, contact Marya Fowler at fowler@nwf.org or (512) 476-9805.

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